The spelling of "wast curious" may seem odd, but it can be explained using IPA phonetic transcription. The word "wast" is an archaic form of "were," used in the past tense of "to be." It is pronounced /wɑːst/, with the "a" sounding like the "a" in "father" and the "t" being pronounced at the end. "Curious" is pronounced /ˈkjʊər.i.əs/ with the emphasis on the first syllable and the "u" sounding like the "u" in "put." Together, "wast curious" means "were curious" in an older form of English.